Hemingway Lake
Lapeer County, Michigan65 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Hemingway Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Hemingway Lake in Lapeer County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Surface area: 65 acres.
Hemingway Lake is a 65-acre mesotrophic lake in Lapeer County, Michigan. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Lapeer County, Hemingway Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hemingway Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Hemingway Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Hemingway Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Hemingway Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
65 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Hemingway Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hemingway Lake
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Fishing Hemingway Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.5 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hemingway Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hemingway Lake Dam (completed 1912), built primarily for recreation on the Hemmingway and Wipple Drain; earth-type dam, 12 ft tall and 200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 65 ac
- Normal storage
- 700 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 875 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Hemingway Lake Home Owners Assn
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00294 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Hemingway Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Columbiaville WwslColumbiaville · 4.3 mi away · NPDES MI0054810Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Lapeer County
Frequently asked questions about Hemingway Lake
Where is Hemingway Lake?
- Hemingway Lake is a lake in Lapeer County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hemingway Lake?
- Hemingway Lake in Lapeer County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Surface area: 65 acres.
Is Hemingway Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS23 samples · 2021–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)